Dr. Gabaldon is as bright, curious, and surprising as the ravens whose sculptures she keeps in her home.
“Art and science are two sides of the same coin.
What they both rest on is the ability to draw patterns out of chaos.”
Diana Gabaldon: Fiction
Books (partial)
Outlander Series
Outlander (1991)
Dragonfly in Amber (1992)
Voyager (1993)
The Drums of Autumn (1997)
The Outlandish Companion (1999)
The Fiery Cross (2001)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (2005)
An Echo in the Bone (2009)
The Exile, a graphic novel (2010)
Written In My Own Heart’s Blood (2013)
This series has been translated into 23 languages, and published in 26 countries.
Lord John Series
The Private Matter (2003)
The Brotherhood of the Blade (2007)
The Scottish Prisoner (2011)
Lord John and the Hand of Devils (2007)
Awards
RITA Award given by the Romance Writers of Aerica, Best Book of 1991 (Outlander)
Quill Book Award Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror - 2006
Corine International Book Prize - 2006
ec.lec.tic/i'klektik/
Adjective: Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources. —Google
Diana Gabaldon writes "big, fat, weird, indescribable" books that tend to run about 1,000 pages, and still make the NY Times Bestseller list. As we began our interview she rattled off 10 very eclectic sections where a single title of her books can be found in a bookstore, and confessed that her short stories are about the size of a 'normal' novel.
Before she became a novelist she wrote Scrooge McDuck comic books and articles for computing publications. She was the founding editor of Science Software Quarterly, garnered a BS in Zoology, an MA in Marine Biology and a PhD in Quantitative Behavioral Ecology, and was a professor at ASU for 18 years.
So how did she she become a novelist? Well, she has always been a storyteller, she doesn't like doing things she has done before (check out her Outlander graphic novel and zombie story), she finds that people–and characters–are "endlessly fascinating," enjoys research, and thought she'd try her hand at writing a novel. She had barely clicked the last key on her manuscript before she signed a three-book contract and quit her teaching job.
Diana writes her books in scenes, tinkering with each sentence and each paragraph to make sure it is clear, euphonious and accurate. Once these pieces start creating a pattern of structure, theme and tone, her novels begin to take shape.
Interview Movie
(Embedded version below)
MP3 Audio File
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right click on the link if you are on a PC,
or control click if you are on a Mac. )
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Location: |
Scottsdale, AZ |
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Run Time: |
30:38 |
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Genre: |
Multiple |
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Website: |
www.dianagabaldon.com |
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Raised: |
Flagstaff, AZ |
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Youthful Influence: |
The Flagstaff Library: YA series esp. adventure, mystery, sci-fi, biography, Alice in Wonderland, and The Swiss Family Robinson. |
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Favorite Authors: |
She has been reading since the age of three and has many. Her most recent favorite is Phil Rickman. |
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Literary Habit: |
Multiple projects going. On a computer, usually at night in her office at home. Fiddling endlessly, and putting words and scenes together. |
She says that some people seem to 'think that writers are like an artistic pez dispenser," born with a stack of stories in their brains that they just type out. And while she agrees that storytellers are likely born, she knows the craft of writing can be taught.
There were two times during this interview that both of us had our mouths hanging open: when she explained the similarities between the scientific and artistic processes, and when she literally acted out writing a scene. You'll be amazed as well.
Learn from the interview what a glass like this can inspire.
